Meet Anne's Table!

Here's Anne then and now!

Anne is in 1/3 MOPS and this is her 2nd year as a DGL.  She has 2 kids.

Do you have any Easter traditions?

As for any holiday, I just try to be with family. Growing up we went to sunrise service, the pancake feed, and hunted down our Easter baskets (a tradition that my Dad carried on until we were married). For my kids, I just like to bring the whole family together--grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc--go to church and worship God, eat together, and hopefully play outside a little. Also, the weeks leading up to Easter, Eli and I like to hide those brightly-colored plastic eggs around the house and find them. He likes to play that game over and over and over again. 
 
For Eli's first Easter, I woke up in the middle of the night with a great idea--I would make a onesie for his first Easter outfit. So, while the world was still dark, I got my sharpies out and a white onesie and got to work creating this beautiful He Is Risen shirt for Eli. Only after I spent an hour on it did I realize it stunk! I threw it in the wash quick, but even by morning, it still reeked of Permanent Marker. I had Eli in it long enough to snap a picture but was so afraid I would make him high for Easter, I quickly took it off and stowed it away for a keepsake. 
 This year, for Lena, I think I'll worry a little less about a cute outfit. Like I said, it's all about bringing family together and making memories while celebrating the huge fact that our whole lives as Christians changed because of what Jesus chose to do on Easter Morn.  

Meet her table!

not pictured: Katie

Each person was asked this question:

Where is the best place to take your kids in the summer?

DGL-ANNE: We utilize all the free programs that the library puts on--so many fun, interactive activities.  Also, spray ground parks around Omaha.

MENTOR MOM-SHALLY

BECKY: Grandma's pool

KRISTIN: Splash pad- 120th and Center(ish), different parks around Omaha, Fontanelle Forest

SHELLI-Splash parks, zoo, mall play area if it's too hot. 

KATIE: The splash park off of 156th and Maple

SARAH: Fontanelle Forest-outdoor/nature playground-Awesome!

AMANDA

Thanks for sharing your table with us, Anne!

Instead of one dinner recipe, I will do three fun ways to eat 3 different vegetables.  ~Anne
 
1) Kale Chips  I do mine on the stove top. Wash kale lettuce leaves and then strip the leaves off the stalk. Scatter them in a skillet and drizzle a good amount of olive oil (or grapeseed oil or small bits of butter (the real stuff) if you prefer) on top. Then add your seasoning. I like salt and pepper, which makes them like salty chips. Garlic salt is also really good. Be generous with the salt and pepper! Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes until the leaves get crispy. In the end, you have a great side dish that fulfills your craving for a salty snack. 
Note: you can also bake them in the oven to get them crunchier, just be careful because they burn faster. Also, pat dry your leaves after washing them, as baking them wet can leave them soggy.
 
2) Sweet Potato Bites.If you haven't jumped on the sweet potato train, you're missing out. Or, if you only taste them at Thanksgiving under the weight of marshmallow and butter, you are missing out!  I like my sweet potatoes many ways: baked with apples and topped with honey and butter, steamed in the oven as a whole sweet potato, and also mixed with other veggies. But my favorite way is to bake them with Italian seasoning.  (SO QUICK and EASY!)
First, peel and dice the sweet potato and scatter on parchment paper (if you have it). Then, drizzle with olive oil (or grapeseed oil, which in this case I prefer) and then add a generous dose of garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are and also if you like burnt ends. I love the burnt pieces of sweet potatoes, which to me, taste like burnt marshmallows.  This side dish, to me, has a pizza quality and maybe satisfies that craving for you as well!
 
3) Cauliflower Popcorn First, wash and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then, drizzle with olive oil and shake some salt on. Bake at 400 for 20 or 30 minutes and you will have a great substitute for popcorn. Makes a great side dish or a yummy snack.
With cauliflower, you can also cut lengthwise so it has a flat surface and then place on the grill after adding seasoning. 
 
The trick with adding more vegetables in your meals is playing with the spices. Don't be afraid to experiment!
 
Note: In case you are worried about adding too much salt in your diet: if you start to eliminate processed foods (anything that comes in cans, boxes, etc), it's amazing how much sodium intake that frees up. 

Meet Tonya's Table!

Here's Tonya then and now!

Tonya is in 1/3 MOPS and this is her first year as a DGL.  She has two kids.

Do you have any funny stories from motherhood? (Besides delivering a baby on the side of the road!!)

Oh my, tons.  Poop in the tub, pee on the floor, crayons on the wall. My son (4 1/2) learned to pee outside on the farm.  So one day I heard the front door open and I take off to see what he was doing.  He was in the front yard, pants down, peeing away.  I debated between laughing out loud and yelling at him to "get inside." Thankfully no neighbors were outside.

Meet her table!

Each person was asked this question:

What are some qualities that you admire in someone?

DGL-TONYA: Loyal, sweet, nonjudgmental, makes you feel comfortables, Godly

MENTOR MOM-SUSAN: I admire girls that have a compassionate and caring heart.  Some who can love another person in need. 

CARRIE: I love warm, friendly people! I love to have sweet, thoughtful friends in my life. 

COURTNEY: Honesty, integrity, sense of humor, self-actualization

JAIMEE: Honesty, good morals and values, kindness, compassion, ability to laugh at themselves, and being positive even when times are tough. 

ALYSSA: Honesty, trustworthy, fun-loving, kind-hearted

SHANNON: Honesty, loyal, someone who is there when you need them and knows that you need them without being told. 

MELISSA-honesty, being real, a never ceasing thirst and quest for knowledge, people who follow through, people who effectively balance work and home, those with an active lifestyle, people with passion--about life and what they do/believe

KELLI: Honesty, integrity.  Someone who can just be themselves.  

Thanks for sharing your table with us, Tonya!

Peach Cobbler Coffee Cake by Tonya

1 c butter softened 

1 c sugar

2 eggs 

3 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 c sour cream

1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling

1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches drained

Topping: 

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1/2 c quick cooking oats

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cut cold butter cubed

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined. Pour half of batter into a greased 13x9 in pan. Combine pie filling and peaches, spread over batter. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls over filling. For topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

Meet Alexa's Table

Here's Alexa then and now!

Alexa is in 1/3 MOPS and this is her 1st year as a DGL.  She has 2 kids.

Tell us about your messiest mom moment.

When my son was 2 years old I reached out to my local school district for speech therapy because he had less than 10 words.  From the first 10 minutes the "specialists" were in my home, I had that Mommy gut feeling that this was not going to work out. However, I stayed with the program for various reasons, primarily because my son really needed help and I was no expert in this field. I really don't want to go into the details of what my son and I experienced in our own home, but let's just say that it wasn't a pleasant experience and it made me extremely skeptical when searching for a preschool. Thank God I prayed and listened to that gut feeling that told me to try a private therapist, which took forever to find. By her second visit, the private specialist had more of a relationship with my son than the eight months he was with the original one.  My son has come a long way and last month he even said the pledge of allegiance over the loud speaker at school. If you had a child with speech delay, believe me, this is a pretty big accomplishment.  I strongly believe that through prayer, perseverance and that natural Mommy instinct you can overcome messy moments like this one.

Meet her table!

not pictured: Felicia

Each person was asked this question:

What type of legacy or values do you want to instill in your children?

DGL-ALEXA: To love and seek God with all their heart.  To value family.  To be secure with themselves and their goals and aspirations.

MENTOR MOM-MARTA: I pray that my boys would be men of integrity, ethics and honor.  I pray that they are hard-working and kind, compassionate people who are guided by Biblical values, especially Proverbs 3:5-6.

AMANDA: That they would learn to know, love and follow Jesus more everyday and make good choices.

REBECCA: To love and follow God

JESSICA: I desire my children to be courageous.  I'd like them to open doors, show kindness to the poor, cherish their wives to display the truth about God.

MELODY: To love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind & that they have a clear and solid understanding of their identity in Him.  To love Jesus, Others, & and then Yourself. 

FELICIA

Thanks for sharing your table with us, Alexa!

I enjoy cooking so I have lots of recipes. Here is a 15 minute go to shrimp one which I enjoy over yucca or cassava from my Latin roots, but it goes well over pasta too...

Ingredients:

Pasta (fettuccine, linguini or spaghetti)

Shrimp (I use tail-on, uncooked, deveined)

Minced garlic

Olive oil

Butter

Sliced green olives stuffed with pimentos

Cilantro

Parmesan cheese

Salt

Red pepper flakes (a little goes a long way unless you like it spicy)

Optional: crab meat and/or scallops

Boil your pasta or cassava in salted water. While that's cooking, sauté minced garlic and olives in olive oil and a nice slice of butter, add diced cilantro leaves and red pepper flakes.  Add shrimp and all optional fish and season with salt. Not much salt is needed because olives and Parmesan cheese have salt in them. Drain and serve pasta. Pour sautéed shrimps over pasta. Add more diced cilantro leaves. Grate Parmesan cheese over dish and toss all to combine. 

Meet Kelly L's table!

Here's Kelly then and now!

Kelly is in 1/3 MOPS and has been a DGL for one year.  She has two kids.

Can you tell us about your best or worst Valentine's Day?

My favorite Valentine's Day was my first one with my husband Bob. At the time we had been dating for 8 months.  Bob managed to combine his love of boxing with my love of teddy bears (my favorite childhood toy) for my gift. He went to build a bear and made me a teddy bear with red boxing gloves and white satin shorts with red hearts. I still have that bear today over 10 years later. 

Meet her table!

not pictured: Margie and Shantel 

Each person was asked this question:

If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?

DLG-KELLY: Mary Poppin's magic power- poof & everything is cleaned up and the kids are well behaved!

MENTOR MOM-MARGIE: to be with my kids (adult) whenever I want

ANGIE: Speed of light. Get everything done super quick-cleaning, shopping, etc...relax when I want

AMANDA: The ability to fly, so I could visit anywhere I wanted quickly

SHELLY: I would be able to teleport so I could visit my family and different countries whenever I felt like it.

SHAUNA: Invinsibility-So nothing could take me down and I could be an unstoppable force for a good cause.  

SHANTEL: X-ray vision so I could know who actually started a fight, hit first, or colored on the furniture.

Thanks for sharing your table with us, Kelly!

Peanut Butter Chip Banana Cookie Bread

by Kelly

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your loaf pan (like an 8 x 4" pan) with shortening.
In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
In a large bowl stir together bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and sugars.
Pour dry ingredients into bowl with wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy (do not over-stir).
Fold in peanut butter chips and spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and remove from loaf pan, transferring bread to a cooling rack.

Meet Alicia's Table

Here's Alicia then and now!

Alicia is in 1/3 MOPS and this is her third year as a DGL.  She has three kids.

What do you like to do with your kids in the winter to beat the winter blues?

Get out of the house and go play somewhere like Bounce U, Omaha Children's Museum, and the malls. We also get out the summer sand toys and play in the snow. 

Meet her table!

Each person was asked this question:

What is one of your fondest memories you have as a mom and raising your children?

DGL-ALICIA: When all 3 kids laid together and were loving on each other. 

MENTOR MOM-RENITA: Sitting on the bedroom floor at bedtime reading books

SHANNON: One of my favorite times of the day is getting ready for nap time and having that quiet time with them when they sit in my lap, and we read a book together, then cuddle while they fall asleep. I love rocking them, holding them, and just enjoying that time together as they fall asleep.

JERILYN: Probably the first time Fiona said "momma" or the first time she said "I love you."

TIFFANIE: Taking the kids camping and watching them play.

DANICA: Playing with my kids, reading books, and singing songs to them at bedtime.

LIZ: One fun memory is going on a hike with my son Sam, daughter Noelle, and my husband.  It was so cute to see my kids "running" ahead on the trail, squatting down to explore bugs and leaves, and then carrying them the majority of the hike.  Precious!

SARAH: One of my fondest memories is when my daughter was old enough to talk, she said that she wanted to be a mommy when she grew up. What a happy mommy moment!

KIM: When my children randomly hug me and say with the sweetest voice, "Mom, I love you."

Thanks for sharing your table with us, Alicia!

Quick Chicken Chili by Alicia

3 chicken breast halves, diced
1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes with garlic/onion
1 pkg chili seasoning mix
1 can (15.25oz) corn
1 can (15oz) kidney beans, drained
Combine chicken, undrained tomatoes and seasoning mix in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until chicken is done.
Add undrained corn and beans, simmer 5 minutes or until heated through.